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Spanish police have confirmed that they are investigating Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov but said that until the investigation is concluded, they could not give further details, news website Sega said on February 21.

This follows allegations in the el Periodico newspaper that police in the Catalonia autonomous region in Spain were investigating whether Borissov was linked to an "international money laundering scheme".

Over three pages, el Periodico detailed allegations regarding Borislava Yovcheva and her father, and two companies said to have received more than five million euro since 2013 from "non-Spanish natural persons".

The report alleged that Yovcheva's "possible relationship with Borisov is being carefully examined."

It outlined allegations regarding a villa in Barcelona and a Porsche Macan that Yovcheva reportedly had been seen driving. Yovcheva and her father had not specified legal income on the basis of which they could afford such a standard of living, the article claimed.

Police in Catalonia had asked the prosecutor's office to investigate the incomes, tax payments and banking records of Yovcheva, her father and five others, the report said. It said that the investigation had begun following allegations made to the Spanish police by the Boets civic movement in Bulgaria.

On February 21, Borissov, who repeatedly has denied claims of ownership of a luxury property in Barcelona and has threatened court action regarding allegations in this connection, told journalists that he neither owned a house nor any other real estate in Barcelona.

"I've said this a hundred times so far, and I am saying it again. I don't know why my name is involved," Borissov said.

He said that he must have been to Barcelona about 15 years ago, when he was mayor of Sofia.

"I have nothing to do with these companies. Some people I haven't seen for 20 years. No service, authority, prosecutor or police has sought me out to ask if these things are true," Borissov said.

Spanish police confirm investigation into Bulgarian PM Borissov - reports

February 21, 2020, by shtrak

Bulgaria Air has signed a code share partnership with Qatar Airways, the Bulgarian flag carrier said in a media statement.

This will provide customers of Bulgaria Air with a quick and convenient connection to all five continents of Qatar's destinations, the statement said.

"Our collaboration with Bulgaria Air is part of a series of partnerships we have announced recent;u with airlines from around the world, demonstrating our commitment to work with colleagues from other carriers to provide passengers with unbreakable connectivity and unmatched service," Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker said.

"This co-operation is only part of our long-term development strategy and we are happy to welcome Qatar Airways passengers on board our aircraft," Bulgaria Air chief executive Hristo Todorov said.

The partnership with Qatar Airways is another step towards enriching the portfolio of destinations of the Bulgarian national carrier, the statement said.

Since the beginning of 2020 Bulgaria Air has announced two new direct flights to St. Petersburg and Valencia.

Bulgaria Air operates direct flights to 25 cities in Europe, including domestic flights to Varna and Bourgas.

Qatar Airways first entered the Bulgarian market on September 22 2011, when it launched flights to and from Sofia four times a week. Over the years, due to strong passenger demand, the frequency has increased to 14 flights a week, the statement said.

(Photo: Qatar Airways)

Bulgaria Air signs code share partnership with Qatar Airways

February 18, 2020, by The Sofia Globe staff

The latest annual "No to Nazis on our Streets" demonstration will be held in Sofia on February 22, as a protest against the "Lukov March" planned for that day.

The Lukov March, held in Sofia every February since 2003, honours a pro-Nazi leader of the fascist Union of Bulgarian National Legions, and draws neo-Nazis from various parts of Europe.

The "No to Nazis on our Streets" event, starting at 1pm outside the Central Mineral Baths, a few hours before the scheduled start of the Lukov March, is organised by Antifa Bulgaria.

It said that after the pan-European neo-Nazi organisation called "Fortress Europe" was established in Sofia in 2019, "we think that it is time for the society in the country to wake up and stop the silent consent to its own transformation to fascist".

Antifa Bulgaria said that today, the ideological heirs of Lukov "tend to show themselves in more and more places around the country, organizing torch processions and other obvious or covered up neo-Nazi events".

It pointed to the recent suicide of Emil Krumov, a member of the Bulgarian National Union Edelweiss, organiser of the Lukov March. Krumov shot himself at the State Agency for National Security building after being summoned there for questioning in connection with an investigation into the Bulgarian National Union Edelweiss. After his death, an arsenal of weapons and a photo of Hitler were found at his home.

"Authorities have said they are investigating a potential intent for mass shooting, and the Bulgarian National Union is subject to prosecution investigation and a possible ban."

The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office has applied to the Sofia City Court to de-register the Bulgarian National Union Edelweiss under the law on non-government organisations.

Separately, the 2020 Lukov March has been banned by the mayor of Sofia, but the ban has, for the latest year, been overturned in court.

Antifa Bulgaria said that the Lukov March would probably proceed, with the "silent endorsement of Bulgaria's authorities at all levels".

'No to Nazis on our Streets' to be held in Bulgaria's Sofia on February 22

February 19, 2020, by The Sofia Globe staff

New coronavirus: Bulgaria's Health Ministry opens hotline

February 11, 2020, by The Sofia Globe staff

Organisers of the Lukov March say that they have been shown a Supreme Administrative Court decision upholding an order by Sofia mayor Yordanka Fandukova limiting the event only to the laying of floral tributes at Lukov's house - effectively banning the procession through the streets of Bulgaria's capital.

In a post on the event's official website, the organisers said that they were shown the court order at a meeting at the Interior Ministry also attended by representatives of Sofia municipality.

The laying of floral tributes at the house where Lukov, a pro-Nazi who led the fascist Union of Bulgarian National Legions, was killed, is the traditional culmination of the annual Lukov March.

The organisers said that the Supreme Administrative Court's order was in response to a judgment of the Sofia Administrative Court overturning Fandukova's total ban on the Lukov March.

"Although absurd, the Supreme Administrative Court accepts that it is a not a problem for the mayor of Sofia to change the character of the event from a procession to a meeting, and thus we cannot move through the streets of Sofia."

The organisers said that "unfortunately" the Supreme Administrative Court's decision was final and not subject to appeal.

They said that city police had told them that they would not allow the march in any form. "They even announced that they would stop anyone who tried to do so."

"We will not call for the breaking of the law and failure to comply with a judgment. But we leave it up to everyone to decide where to go, where to pass and how to move around."

Speaking on the afternoon of February 21, the eve of the 2020 Lukov March, Interior Minister Mladen Marinov said that the ministry was determined to uphold the mayor's order regarding the event.

Held since 2003, the Lukov March, an evening torchlight parade that attracts neo-Nazis from various parts of Europe, has been banned by mayor Fandukova every year in recent years, but in each of these years, the ban has been overturned by the court in Sofia.

Ahead of the 2020 Lukov March, the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office lodged an application in the Sofia City Court to delete the registration of the march's organiser, the Bulgarian National Union Edelweiss, under the law on non-government organisations.

Prosecutors say that the BNU Edelweiss has been organising events that run counter to Bulgaria's constitution, and its leaders and activists have made statements containing incitement to violence and hate speech based on racial, ethnic, religious, gender, and antisemitic propaganda. Contrary to the law, the BNU Edelweiss had set up a paramilitary structure, according to prosecutors.

Organisers: Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court has upheld ban on Lukov March

February 22, 2020, by The Sofia Globe staff